Yes, Prime Minister The Death of Lady Appleby
by Jael73
Summary: A Yes, Prime Minister story featuring Sir Humphrey, set after the last episode aired. What would happen to Sir Humphrey if Lady Appleby died, and if he would be able to find love again? Additional chapters written by SSLE!
1. Chapter 1

The Death of Lady Appleby

Disclaimer: I own nothing – Tony and John are the writing gods!

Prime Minister Jim Hacker and his cabinet secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby were just finishing up a long night of work in preparation of a major address to Parliament when Bernard walked into the office, ashen.

"Sir Humphrey, there was a phone call…" Bernard trailed off, not able to continue.

"Well, what was it, Bernard?" Humphrey asked sharply.

Bernard wet his lips, distraught. "There's been an accident, Sir Humphrey."

"An accident? To whom?"

Bernard said quickly, before he completely lost his nerve, "A drunk driver hit Lady Appleby's car." Bernard looked up, a look of pain and desperation on his face, knowing what he was going to have to say next.

Sir Humphrey stood up quickly, completely taken aback. "What!? Is she alright? What hospital is she at?"

Bernard bowed his head, unable to continue.

Sir Humphrey went white. Hacker thought he was going to fall over. Humphrey seemed to recover himself out of sheer force of will and said in a whisper, "There must be some mistake…"

Bernard shook his head. His cheeks were wet as he looked to the Prime Minister for what to do next. Humphrey sat down weakly, as if he couldn't hold himself up any longer.

"Bernard, did they say where she was being…held?" Jim asked as he hurriedly got Humphrey a glass of brandy.

"Yes, Prime Minister. At the hospital off Cotton."

"Then we'll take the limo, at once. Call for it, will you, Bernard? And call Annie, please."

Humphrey didn't even seem to be in the same room as Jim handed him the glass. He stared down at it, and slung back the entire glass in one gulp.

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Two days later, the Prime Minister's limo pulled up to the Appleby residence. Jim and Annie stood together as Jim rang the bell. A servant answered.

"Oh, Prime Minister! Thank you for coming! Please come in."

"Is Sir Humphrey here?" Jim asked.

The butler's voice broke with sadness. "Yes, Prime Minister. He's in the study."

The butler led them through the drawing room door. A man was seated in a chair by a dwindled fire, back turned to the door. The butler said softly, "Sir Humphrey, the Prime Minister and his wife are here to see you."

The man turned in the chair. It was Humphrey, but Jim had never seen him look like this. It was a portrait of a broken man. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair deshelved, no tie. It was obvious that he hadn't slept. The Hackers had been the Appleby residence before, of course, but this was a side of Humphrey Jim had never seen before. He didn't know what to do.

Annie did, though. She walked right up to Sir Humphrey and hugged him. Humphrey broke down completely, and cried on Annie's shoulder.

"I'm very sorry," Humphrey said after a few minutes, ineffectually dabbing his eyes with his handkerchief. "I don't know what came –"

"No need whatsoever to apologize, Humphrey." Jim broke into the awkward moment. "We are very, very sorry."

Humphrey's voice crackled with emotion. "Thank you, thank you, Prime Minister, dear lady. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I would never have been able to devote myself to the service without her. She made my life possible. She understood me. How am I to get on?"

He looked around, visibly trying to compose himself. "Rupert, would you please get the Prime Minister and his wife a drink?"

"Are you alone?" Annie asked as they sat down. "Do you have any family that can come?"

Sir Humphrey's voice was barely above a whisper. "No, no, I'm afraid not. I had one brother, who died at Normandy. And Mary was an only child."

"Well, you can take as much time as you need, Humphrey." Jim said.

"And I'll stay, if you like, to help with the arrangements," Annie offered.

Humphrey looked at Annie with relief and gratitude, in less than his usual smirking way.

"Thank you, my dear, I would be very grateful. I'm sure there will be many phone calls. Mary was involved in many charities. It was such a group that she was driving home from -." He put his hand to his mouth and bowed his head, overcome. How could he go on?

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The funeral was beautiful. The Prime Minister gave the eulogy himself. He spoke of Lady Appleby's charity work, her grace, and her love for her husband. Jim may have had his run-ins with Humphrey, but he had seen Humphrey and Mary together often enough to know that Humphrey, for all of his stubborn refusal of change, knew how to treat a lady. Even a somewhat stiff lady like Lady Mary Appleby.

But though lots of people came, very few lingered after the service was over, and even fewer continued to the Appleby residence. Sir Arnold, the former cabinet secretary, told Jim not to be concerned; Humphrey was a man with few friends, but loyal ones. They would take care of him.

Annie handed a piece of paper to the butler, Rupert. "Now, this is the direct line to the residence. Please call if we can be of any help."

The butler took the paper with dignity. "Thank you, Madam; I'm sure Sir Humphrey would be grateful."


	2. Chapter 2

The weeks went by slowly. Sir Humphrey returned to work after a couple of days, and everyone was on their best behavior towards him. Humphrey knew this, and Bernard and Jim could tell that it irritated him. Sir Humphrey was a very private man.

But even that emotion lessened as a black depression fell over him. Jim and Bernard noticed him draw into himself. Humphrey looked tired and sad most of the time, and distracted the rest of the time. At times he was completely lost in thought even in cabinet meetings. He even stopped trying to block Hacker's innovations to government policy. The quota on female Civil Servants and a new tax on cigarettes went through before Jim realized what was happening.

"I miss the old Humphrey, Bernard." Jim said one morning, three months later.

Bernard looked surprised at first, and then acquiesced. "Yes, Prime Minister. So do I."

"Where is he, anyway?"

The phone rang. Bernard's face fell as he listened. "Yes, I'll tell him, Sir Humphrey. Good day."

Bernard looked stricken. "Sir Humphrey is asking for gardening leave, Prime Minister."

"For how long, Bernard?"

"He didn't say, Prime Minister."

-----------------

A month went by with little word. Then the phone at the residence rang. Jim answered.

"Prime Minister, this is Rupert, Sir Humphrey's butler. I'm sorry to call you at home..."

"No, no, that's quite alright, Rupert. Is something wrong?"

"Well, sir, Sir Humphrey doesn't know that I'm calling, but I'm thinking something should be done. You see, Sir Arnold had to go out of town for several weeks, and Sir Humphrey has stopped returning calls from other friends. They were doing a good job of getting him out of the house, but now Sir Humphrey isn't sleeping, and he isn't eating much. I must admit to being very worried for his health, sir. I thought someone should know."

"I see. Let me talk to Annie about this, will you, Rupert?"

"Thank you, Prime Minister."

Jim filled Annie in. "That poor man," Annie said. "You'd never think him to be the emotional one, would you?"

"No, that's true, but he was very different with Mary. And I suspect that she was very different alone with him. They were childhood sweethearts, you know."

Annie looked thoughtful. "I've had an idea for a couple of weeks, but wasn't sure if you'd like it."

"What is that, my dear? Anything to bring Humphrey out of his depression! I actually need him in the office!" Jim's eyes widened in surprise. "I never thought I'd say that!"

"Well, can you arrange an official party? Entertain the Israeli Ambassador, perhaps?"

"Do you really think Humphrey will want to come to a party?"

"No, but you'll tell him that it would be a personal favor to you if he came, so that he stays well-informed. His sense of duty should get him here, if nothing else."

"And that's your idea?"

"No, not all of it." Annie looked mischievous. "But that's all I'm going to tell you!"

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Sir Humphrey sat alone in his study with a glass of brandy in his hand. He had found himself almost looking forward to the party tomorrow, until he had turned to tell Mary about it. He heard her in the house, smelled her perfume. He ached for her reassuring hand on his arm, that he was doing the right thing.

He hadn't slept in their bed since that awful night. He hadn't slept much at all, really, having not slept alone in 37 years. The chair by the fire had become his new bed. He missed her so much! Simply the absence of conversation and wit would have been enough to make one miserable, but there had been so much more to her than that.

The private tears that he had been unable to hold in when Annie hugged him fell again, and he slung back the rest of the brandy. The back of his mind told him that people would start questioning his soundness if he kept drinking like this, but he couldn't make himself care. He felt old, and used up. Finally the glow of the fire lulled his eyes to a close. Rupert came in quietly and took the glass before it fell from Humphrey's hand.

Sir Humphrey arrived promptly at No. 10 promptly, meaning that the residence was nearly empty. Even the guest of honor had yet to arrive.

Jim pumped his hand, ecstatic that Humphrey had actually come. "Good to see you, Humphrey! Come in!" Jim's jaw almost dropped after he looked closer. Humphrey had lost weight. His eyes were shadowed, giving the impression that while he might have forced himself to sleep last night for the sake of appearances at the party, he had not been sleeping well for some time. This was not the suave and well-put together Humphrey Jim was used to.

"Thank you, Prime Minister, dear lady." He looked at Annie and said with some of his old charm, "I am unsure that I adequately thanked you for your enormous kindness and untiring work recently in what must have been an involved undertaking on the behalf of my wife."

Annie paused, almost puzzled, and then caught up to Humphrey's rather wordy 'thank you'.

"I'll say 'you're welcome' to that," she said with a smile. "Would you care for a drink?"

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The residence was buzzing with wine and political talk, so much so that Jim lost track of Sir Humphrey for part of the evening. And then he caught sight of him talking to a rather plain looking woman who looked to be in her early forties. Jim didn't recognize her.

"Annie," he whispered, "Who is Sir Humphrey talking to?"

"Elisabeth, a friend from work. I invited her." Annie's eyes sparkled.

"Did you introduce them?"

"No, of course not!"

"Well, why not, then?" Jim was puzzled.

"Darling, matchmaking isn't done like that! If it's a good match, people will find each other even in a crowded room!"

Jim looked at Elisabeth, and looked at the newly bright eyes of Sir Humphrey. Whatever Humphrey saw in the girl was obviously good for him! "Is that so?" Jim grinned and bounced on his toes. "Well, then, it's a good party after all!"

"May I get you another glass of champagne, Miss Reed?" Sir Humphrey asked the enchanting young woman in front of him.

"Oh, thank you, Sir Humphrey. I suppose I shall have one more."

Sir Humphrey nodded approvingly. A woman who could not hold a little spirits or else didn't know her limit usually spoke of the lower classes. "And what do you do in the Israeli Embassy, Miss Reed?"

"Oh, nothing! I am social worker – I work with Mrs. Hacker. She invited me."

"Is that so?" Something nagged at the back of Humphrey's mind, but he brushed it off. He had always enjoyed talking to sensitive woman, especially a true lady such as he found Elisabeth.

"And you are the Head of the Civil Service, am I correct?"

Sir Humphrey almost beamed. "Yes, I have that honor," he said.

They continued to talk about politics, the Service, social conditions in Britain. Sir Humphrey quite ignored the other guests for the entire evening.

Unfortunately for Humphrey, the evening started to wind down.

Humphrey asked Elisabeth, "It is getting late, isn't it? Do you require a ride home, Miss Reed?"

"Ph, no, thank you, Sir Humphrey. Jim and Annie have graciously asked me to stay over. I think she thought I might need to get out." She smiled quietly, reddening slightly. "At my age, your friends start to try to get you out to "see people", if you know what I mean."

"Yes, I'm afraid I do." Sir Humphrey said quietly. Tears came to his eyes. "My wife died recently. My friends have tried to be good to me, but -"

Elisabeth made a soft "Oh!" and the red on her face reached the roots of her hair. "I'm so sorry, Sir Humphrey, I wasn't told," she said as she pressed her hand on his.

They both looked down at her hand on his for a long moment, as if there was a loss for words. Elisabeth looked confused, and nervously withdrew her hand. That nagging thought came back to Sir Humphrey, and he knew that he had actually been set up. He also felt his face grow warm, but of course it was from anger, wasn't it? How dare they! Was Elisabeth involved in this charade? Mary had been dead barely six months!

"Thank you for your concern, dear lady, but it is getting late. I should be going. Please excuse me."

Humphrey walked out the door without even saying goodbye to his hosts. Tears spilt down Elisabeth's cheeks.

"Well, that didn't go well," Jim said from the other side of the room.

"Oh, I don't think it went as bad as you think," Annie observed.

"Oh?"

"Women know these things, dear."


	3. Chapter 3

Annie was on a mission. The moment Sir Humphrey had cried on her shoulder, she knew Elisabeth was for him. She just had to get them together! Annie knew she was right when Elisabeth didn't even mention a word about the party to her afterwards. He was such a stubborn man, though, and proud. He was obviously suffering dreadfully. Annie fretted over what to do about it.

"Jim, Humphrey's a member of the Royal Opera House, isn't he?" Annie asked a couple of weeks later.

"Yes, he's on the board of directors, as a matter of fact."

"Could you find out where his seats are?"

Jim looked wonderingly at her. "Why?"

"Phase two."

---------------------

Annie invited Elisabeth to accompany her and Jim to the next event, counting on Sir Humphrey to not give up his duty to the arts. She planned it carefully.

They met Elisabeth at the Opera House. Jim looked at her, astonished. She was a changed creature. Love, even unconscious love, looked good on her. Annie was elated. This was the Elisabeth that she knew Humphrey had seen at the party. Lady Appleby had not been a typical beauty, either. Sir Humphrey was gentlemen enough to recognize inner beauty.

They sat down to watch "Dido and Aeneas." It was so beautiful, and such a sad story, that the unconscious tears which had been Elisabeth had been hiding from herself spilled down her face.

Unknown to her, Sir Humphrey was watching her from his box, mesmerized. She was so beautiful! Not in a cheap, made-up way, like so many of today's women are, Sir Humphrey thought to himself, but in a truly elegant manner. She glowed. He saw the tears fall from her eyes, and was moved.

And then he was uncomfortable. What was he thinking! She was at least ten years his junior; it wouldn't be proper. And she wouldn't be interested in him, anyway, he argued with himself. Of course, he refused to allow himself to think about whether or not he was interested in her. How disloyal to Mary that would be! It wasn't even conceivable.

The opera over, the trio made their way to the lobby. Jim saw the tears on Elisabeth's cheeks, and offered her his handkerchief.

"Oh, thank you, Jim," Elisabeth smiled a little self-conscienceously. "I don't know what came over me."

"It was a beautiful play," Annie explained.

"Yes, quite." Elisabeth agreed. She handed the handkerchief back to Jim and looked up. Sir Humphrey was staring at her through the crowd. She felt herself blush furiously, and her head swam. The room was so warm!

Immediately, Sir Humphrey was there to steady her. "My dear Miss Reed, are you alright?" It wasn't her fault, Sir Humphrey thought to himself. She hadn't thrown herself at him, he knew now, but had been set up, like him. There was nothing improper about helping a lady, however. And she couldn't be attracted to an old man like me, anyway, he thought, refusing to speculate on the reason for the blush on her cheeks.

Where did that thought come from? This was silly – his wife hadn't even been dead eight months!

She looked into his eyes. His arm was around her waist. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this close to a man before. And certainly not a man like Sir Humphrey!

"Yes, thank you, Sir Humphrey," she managed breathlessly. "I didn't know you were here."

"Yes, we do seem to be running into each other, do we not?" Humphrey gave Annie and Jim a quick glare. Jim looked at the ceiling, and Annie managed to continue looking concerned for Elisabeth. "Why don't we get you some fresh air, my dear?"

Humphrey guided her outside, onto the sidewalk of the Royal Opera House, Annie and Jim remaining discreetly in the background. He held his hand at her back, and she smiled at him. Desire rushed through him so fast that he nearly couldn't breathe.

"It is fortuitous that we meet again, Miss Reed," he managed to force out, not quite sounding as casual as he wanted. "I had wanted to apologize for leaving the party at No. 10 so abruptly –"

"Oh, I'm sure you had much to do, Sir Humphrey," Elisabeth offered. She was sure he had left overcome with the grief of his wife, but didn't want to mention it.

"-and invite you to dinner, to make up for my boorish behavior." He didn't know what he was saying. Was he trying to embarrass himself?

"Oh! Yes, that would be very nice, Sir Humphrey, but it's not really ness-"

"I insist."

Elisabeth looked over at Annie, who smiled encouragingly. "Well, I suppose that it's alright, then…."

"Would Saturday suit you? Shall we say, seven o'clock?"

He arrived at her townhouse a little early, having received directions from the Prime Minister. It was irritating for Hacker to know so much about his personal business, and probably spreading it all over Whitehall, but it couldn't be helped. He was even thinking of returning to work soon. Who knows what disastrous notions the Prime Minister had been up to while he was gone.

He walked up to the main entrance, and a door guard called out, "Sir Humphrey?"

"Yes?"

"Miss Reed told me she was expecting you. Please come inside while I ring her."

Humphrey concealed his surprise well. He had realized the address was in a better part of London, but this implied that Elisabeth was of a class beyond a mere social worker.

The elevator opened, and a beautiful, graceful woman stepped out. She reddened only a little at Sir Humphrey's obvious approval. Everything about her was so subtle, so delicate. He could not help but compare her to Mary, who tended to prefer black when on outings. Elisabeth's evening dress was a soft, pale green that brought out the soft highlights in her blonde hair. She looked even younger that she had when they first met, and he grew a little nervous. But he managed to keep his composure, and remember his manners.

"Miss Reed," he bowed, his face mobile and charming. He kissed her hand. "Shall we go?"

The evening was perfect. Humphrey was tongue-tied at first. But Elisabeth set him at ease. He smiled a genuine smile, the first in months. He felt he could finally enjoy his dinner when talking with someone who was actually interested in his work. Elisabeth was a charming conversationalist, though most people, like Jim Hacker, thought her plain and rather quiet. You didn't need to have an obstinate opinion about everything to be pleasant, Humphrey thought.

The small orchestra started to play a lovely waltz. He saw she was enthralled by the music.

"Would you care to dance, Miss Reed?" he asked, brushing off the feeling of nervousness. He hadn't danced with anyone besides his wife in nearly forty years! That's beside the point, Humphrey snapped to himself. There was nothing improper here!

"Elisabeth, please, Sir Humphrey. And, I'd be delighted," she smiled that smile again, and he nearly tipped over his water glass in the haste to get out of his chair.

Her hand on his shoulder, his hand around her waist, they danced for what seemed like hours, barley saying anything, just captivated by the moment.

The evening ended, if only because the restaurant was closing. Humphrey felt a stabbing pain at the thought of leaving her company. He collected himself. He was simply lonely, that was all, he thought. This ravishing creature could have no interest in him!

The valet brought around the car, and he held the door for her. They made only a little small talk on the way to Elisabeth's townhouse. She explained that it had been left to her by her grandparents, who had been well-established members of high society. He tried to talk about his childhood and schooling at Winchester. But he didn't really feel like talking.

He pulled into her driveway.

Elisabeth said, with her head bowed, "Thank you very much for driving me home, Sir Humphrey. It was a lovely evening."

"It is I who should thank you, Elisabeth, for such pleasant company."

He reached over to give her a social kiss on the cheek. Everything seemed to move so slowly. She turned her head, and brushed his lips with hers. Humphrey felt insensible as the kiss went on for what seemed like an eternity. There was no past, no future - it was just a man quietly kissing a woman in the present.

The kiss ended. Humphrey backed away, feeling light headed. He could barely think, his body ached, he couldn't breathe. The look on his face was a mixture of torture and more confusion.

But Elisabeth was sure this was disapproval at what could only be construed as her throwing herself at a vulnerable man still in mourning for his wife! What could he be thinking of her? Fright came over her face as she pushed open the car door, and fled.


	4. Chapter 4

Humphrey began working again a few days later. He was still distracted and not exactly his same interfering self, but the black cloud was gone, and Jim thought that was least an improvement. But there was a tension between the two of them that was new. Bernard was the first to comment on it.

"Prime Minister, I hate to ask, but is there a problem between you and Sir Humphrey?"

"What? No, what do you mean?"

"Well, you seem to both be walking on egg shells, so to speak, with each other. Of course, I realize that you might want to be careful, but he seems to be being short with you, too."

"Oh, it's nothing, Bernard. I'll broach the subject with Sir Humphrey."

"What subject is that, Prime Minister?"

"Elisabeth. Send him in, won't you, Bernard?"

Sir Humphrey peeked in the door if the Prime Minister's office with something like his old smirk. "Prime Minister, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, please sit down, Humphrey. I have something to tell you."

"About the pay increase for teachers, perhaps?"

"No, about Elisabeth."

Humphrey froze. "Prime Minister, I hardly think this is the time or the place –"

"She told Annie that she behaved very badly when you drove her home from dinner, and that she hoped you would forgive her for it."

Humphrey sputtered, "Wh-what!?"

"That's what she said, and I thought you should know that we didn't mean her to –"

"That's not what happened at all!" Humphrey exclaimed. "I am to blame. I – "

"Well, she thinks she insulted you. Whatever happened, I'd suggest you go talk with her."

Humphrey tried to muster up an indignant reply, but found that he simply could not. He held onto the back of one of the chairs as if he was trying to keep from falling.

"There is nothing to say, Prime Minister. I am simply an old man who …" he shook his head. "Good evening, Prime Minister." Humphrey walked out slowly.

Jim sighed. "So that's what he said. Are you going to talk to Elisabeth tomorrow?" he asked Annie that evening.

"Don't worry, dear." Annie patted his knee. "Sometimes these things take time to work themselves out."

Elisabeth found herself at the Appleby's front door, several nights later, not sure what she should do. Annie had told her everything about Sir Humphrey, including the death of his wife, how he had been devoted to her, and his belief that he was to blame for the incident in the car. Incident! It was the most amazing thing she had felt in her whole life! How could he blame himself for that?

She rang the doorbell. "Yes?" the butler answered.

"Could you please inform Sir Humphrey that Miss Reed is here?" she asked.

"Won't you please come in, Miss Reed, while I inform him?"

"No, thank you. I'm not sure that would be appropriate," she stated. The butler looked puzzled. "As you wish," he said, and closed the door.

It opened almost immediately again. Humphrey was without dinner jacket or tie. Nicer, if not actually more relaxed, thought Elisabeth. She wet her lips nervously for her apology.

"Elisabeth?" Sir Humphrey looked at her incredulously. "Why won't you come in? Please, I insist." His eyes pleading, she let him take her by the hand.

"I was not sure you would want me in your house, Sir Humphrey, after I took advantage –"

"You did nothing wrong, indeed! It was I –"

"No, no, please Sir Humphrey, I know now what I did was wrong. I, too, know what it is like to lose someone close." Tears swam in her eyes as she explained.

"We were to be married, but he died shortly after we became engaged. And I hated it when people would try to 'set me up.' I didn't know what Annie had in mind –"

"Of course you didn't, my dear!" Humphrey said reassuringly. "Please, come and sit down in the study." He led her to a chair, and handed her a sherry.

He sighed, tired, and looked into her eyes. "I never for a moment thought you had done anything improper. I simply must, however, ask your forgiveness for my moment of weakness. It was inexcusable, and not at all a reflection on your character. I really don't know what came over me."

His smile got more nervous, and his speech faster. "An old man like me…"

He reached for his collar, feeling like it was constricting his throat. Now it was his turn to blush. He had been thinking about her for days, and now could not deny what he knew very well.

"It is only fair of me to tell you…" he bowed his head again. Just spit it out! He yelled at himself. "I understand that you don't –"

Elisabeth stood quickly, and faced him, unbelieving what she was sure his heart was saying. Her head swam again, from the sensations of an over warm room and an aching heart.

He caught her up in his arms, protectively, and looked deep into her eyes.

They were very close. Both of them were breathing hard, and being pulled closer by some inexplicable force.

Humphrey closed his eyes. She was here, and he could no longer deny that he wanted her. He kissed her deliberately this time, waiting for her to pull away. She didn't, and he pulled her tightly to him, kissing her as she should have been kissed long ago.

He whispered in her ear shakily, desperately, "Please, Elisabeth, I need you."

Elisabeth's voice caught, breathless. Her fingers brushed his hair. It was electric. "I'm not going anywhere."

He led her through another door that opened into a bedroom. Humphrey kissed her almost forcefully, shaking with desire. Elisabeth's fingers worked at the buttons on his shirt….

The morning light streamed through the windows. Humphrey drank in the sight of this lovely creature who actually had been willing to spend the night with him. Her eyes fluttered open. She smiled sweetly.

"Good morning," he said with a smile.

"Good morning." Elisabeth's smile turned to nervousness. "I'm not sure what else to say."

"Nor I. Let us start with, Would you like some breakfast?"

"What will your servants say?"

Humphrey paused. "I think they'll be delighted." He was thoughtful. "I have not been myself lately." His smile was rather self-depreciating.

"I hope you don't think I took advantage of you, Sir Humphrey."

"No, and I think you, perhaps, should drop the Sir, don't you agree?"

Elisabeth blushed again.

"I have not felt like a man, or even a human being, in quite some time." He said softly. He stroked her cheek, her hair. "I thank you for changing that, no matter what happens. But that is up to you. You are a young women, and I –"

Elisabeth felt her throat constrict. "Please, Humphrey, let me stay."

He was overcome with an emotion. Gratitude? Lust? Or was this love?

He leaned over and kissed her again, forgetting about breakfast.

A/N: Is this the end? Tell me your thoughts!


	5. Chapter 5

Elisabeth left Humphrey's house after breakfast with the promise of dinner later. When she left, Humphrey felt immediately sad. How silly of him, really. She was going to return and he was going to see her later. But he missed her already.

"Stop that! You´re behaving like a teenager with a crush!" he thought to himself.

How come that a girl such as her had grown so quickly in his heart? He didn't know. Just yesterday he was by his fireplace thinking wishfully about her. And today he had slept with her!

And what an amazing night it had been. It was so beautiful. The truth is that Humphrey hadn't felt anything like it in a very long time. This longing, this desire, this passion. He had never felt like this, not even with Mary. His relationship with his former wife was very pure. They were childhood sweethearts and had shared everything. They had no secrets from each other, and whatever came out of their relationship was natural, and friendship was above everything else.

With Elisabeth was different. He needed her in the true sense of the word. When they made love the previous night he thought that he had died and went to Heaven. There were moments when he simply couldn't breath and his heart beated so fast that he felt tired without even moving.

But he felt a pang in his heart when he thought of Mary. Suddenly he felt guilty. Terrible guilty. He tried to shake this thought out of his mind but he simply couldn't. His house was full of memories and he had made love to Elisabeth in the bed that he and Mary shared through many years. She deserved better.

Suddenly he felt sick. Sick and disgust with himself. His wife. He had betrayed her.

Humphrey was in the bathroom looking at the mirror with a disgusted look on his face and a question on his mind: _What have I done_?

----

He was at No. 10 earlier than the usual because he couldn't stand being at his home. His conscience was bugging him and he while working he at least didn't think of what happened.

He had a meeting with the Prime Minister who was late and Humphrey was getting more anxious. Finally Hacker entered the cabinet room.

"Good morning Humphrey! I am sorry I´m late but I had a little problem with breakfast."

Humphrey tried to say something but nothing come out. Bernard got in too and sat at his usually chair waiting for the PM to start.

"Now, lets see the agenda…ah! Education. We must do something about the teachers unions. Seriously, Humphrey. That Michael Ward is unbearable. There is no way I can deal with him. I really think that we should work on this together."

Humphrey said nothing, still looking at lost space.

"Humphrey…Humphrey wake up!"

"What?"

"Humphrey, you are distracted." Jim said with a hint of incredulity in his voice.

"Oh, I´m sorry, Prime Minister. My mind was wandering."

"Oh…I think I can guess why."

"What do you mean?" Humphrey asked hastily.

"Well…you and Elisabeth… I know that she was going to apologize for her actions. I take you are well again?"

Humphrey face hardened and his body tensed.

"I don't really follow Prime Minister."

"Oh come on Humphrey! Let's be frank with each other! It's me and Bernard! We've known each other since I arrived that office in the DAA five years ago. You can tell us!" Jim exclaimed almost merrily.

"Well since I know that your curiosity will not be satisfy until I give you a proper reply to your rather expressive outburst I shall enlighten you, despite my belief that it's not very gentleman-like to talk about a lady with whom I am acquainted. First of all Prime Minister there is nothing to tell about my relationship with Miss Reed. There is nothing outstanding or worth pointing about it. And now about your implicated notion that I and Miss Reed have some type of liaison, I must underline the fact that even though I hold a enormous amount of respect and even affection for Miss. Reed, I am in no place to pursue any kind of relationship with her for I fear that it may turn out to be quite…unpleasant for both of us."

Jim looked at Bernard who actually had understand what Humphrey had just said. But Jim was still in the dark.

"What does that mean?"

Humphrey sighed, deeply annoyed.

"Prime Minister I am not comfortable speaking about this. After all, it is my _private_ life."

"Elisabeth is a friend," Jim said.

"Not yours! Mrs Hacker's!"

"It´s the same. I am interested in her welfare as well as yours!"

"I do not need you to be interested in my welfare, Prime Minister" Humphrey replied.

"Of course you need, Humphrey. Especially now."

"What do you mean with that?"

Jim didn't really wanted to talk about Lady Appleby so he glanced quickly at Bernard who said,

"What Sir Humphrey meant is that he is not interested in having a relationship with Miss Reed. At least not a intimate one," Bernard said softly desperately trying to avoid looking at his bosses.

"Is this true Humphrey?"

"Prime Minister I am not feeling very comfortable with this converstation!"

"Humphrey I must insist upon an answer! Is this true?"

"I have no obligation whatsoever to answer you. But I would say that I am in no position of pursuing a relationship with Miss. Reed. "

"But why?"

Humphrey thought for a moment and then he rose and made his way to the door.

"Because my conscience won´t let me" And with this Humphrey left, leaving the Prime Minister of Great Britain and his Private Secretary dumbstruck

"That´s what he said?"

"Word by word."

Anne and Jim were sited comfortable in the flat at No. 10 in the end of the day, talking about Humphrey and Elisabeth.

"I don't understand."

"What?"

"I…well I thought that they were both finally getting along."

"Why do you say that?" Jim asked confused.

"Well, I knew that Elisabeth was planning on talking with Humphrey to try to solve their misunderstandings. And she said that she was going to talk to him, yesterday in the evening. So, today, first thing in the morning I called her. And she wasn't home! And then I rang her work and she wasn't there."

"So…" Said Jim not understanding.

"Come on Jim! If at that hour she wasn't at home and she wasn't at work, she had to be with Humphrey!"

"You think they spent the night together?!"

"Well…yes!"

Jim couldn't believe.

"I don't believe it. If they had spent the night together Humphrey wouldn't have talked like that. He spoke as if they were simply friends or even less. And probably that's what they are."

"Very well then I shall discover what happened for myself."

"What are you going to do?"

Annie didn't answer, and picked up the phone.

After a few seconds the phone was answered by a soft voice,

"Yes?"

"Hello Elisabeth, it´s Anne. How are you?"

"Hi Anne. I am quite well. And you?"

"I´m fine. Elisabeth I don't want to…intrude in your intimiate life, but I was wondering if you went to talk to Humphrey last night."

"Well…Annie…well if you really want to know…" Elisabeth said ready to confess everything. For her, there was no reason to hold anything back from Annie.

"Humphrey and I…we spent the night together." Annie could hear Elisabeth's shyness over the phone.

"Spent the night? You mean you did…"

"Yes."

"And…"

"Oh Annie you don't expect me to tell you do you?"

"Oh I don't want any details, just tell me how it was."

Elisabeth thought for a moment.

"It was the most amazing night of my life. My imagination couldn't have done better."

Annie was silent during a few moments and then askedm

"Have you seen him since this morning?"

"No. We had dinner appointment but he said that he had an extraordinary meeting and that he would call me afterwards."

When Annie turned off the phone she had a grave expression in her face. Jim asked,

"What? What did she say?"

"They did spend the night together."

Jim tried to process this information.

"I don't understand then. I mean, I wasn't expecting Humphrey to reveal such information but saying what he said…it was very…"

"Not very gentleman-like."

"Exactly. Do you think that he…"

"What?" Anne asked.

"Do you think he took advantage of her?" Jim asked with obvious disbelief.

"No, of course not! Humphrey would never do that! I am more inclined to believe that he is feeling guilty. He mentioned his conscience. I believe that he is still feeling guilty about his wife."

"Oh…"

"And there´s more." Said Annie "They had a dinner arrangement and Humphrey cancelled it saying he had an _extraordinary_ meeting."

"But he didn't!" Jim replied "He lied?!"

"Apparently, yes."

"Oh Dear God! What´s the matter with him?!"

"I don't know. I don't know but I intend to find out." Annie said, determined.

"Oh Annie I don't know. I think we have already done enough. I don't really want my cabinet meetings with Humphrey to be spent talking about him and Elisabeth."

"Don't worry. You won´t have to do anything. I will just have a little chat with Humphrey."

In the next morning, Humphrey was in his office full of paperwork when someone knocked on his door. Thinking it was Bernard he simply said "come in" and didn't even look up.

"Sir Humphrey?"

He looked up and saw Mrs. Hacker standing on his door.

He rose immediately and saidm

"Mrs. Hacker? What happened? Did something happen to the Prime Minister?"

"No, no, Jim is perfectly well. It´s nothing about work really."

"Ah" Humphrey simply said, knowing obviously what Mrs. Hacker wanted to talk. "Do sit down, please."

Annie sat on the chair in front of Humphrey and looked at him deeply. He was different but still hurt. He was better than before but there was still something in his eyes that showed her that he wasn't happy.

Annie decided to go straight to the point.

"Humphrey I usually do not meddle into other people life's. But I know an opportunity when I see one. And I did believe and I still do that you and Elisabeth could be happy together."

Humphrey face was totally impenetrable.

"Are you not going to say anything?"

Humphrey sighed and said,

"Mrs. Hacker, I…" but he didn't continue and Annie replied,

"Humphrey, I know what happened. I know that you and Elisabeth spent the night together."

"What? How on earth do..."

"Women aren't like men, Humphrey."

"Yes, I should have known. Though it's not very proper to…"

"Proper? Are we really going to talk about what´s proper?" Annie a little more harshly, though her tone was still soft. Humphrey looked at her not understanding.

"You slept with her and then you called saying you had had an extraordinary meeting with Jim, which was obviously a lie. If you were to be another man I would say that you took advantage of her."

"I didn't and you know it! I would never do that!"

"Yes, I know. And you´re lucky that she doesn't know you lied. What game are you playing Humphrey?"

"I am not playing. I know that…I shouldn't have slept with Elisabeth. I don't know how to deal with this. I simply don't." He said suddenly looked very helpless.

"You have regrets." It wasn't a question it was more of a statement.

"Yes. I feel like I have betrayed my wife."

"Humphrey, you know that's total rubbish!"

"Is it? My wife died eight months ago. And we…I and Elisabeth…we had…on our bed. _Our bed_. How could I?"

"You are not being rational Humphrey. You know perfectly well that just because you have fallen in love with another woman that doesn't mean you will forget about Lady Appleby."

"I feel I have betrayed Mary. I can´t shake off that feeling overnight."

"Humphrey if you continue with that line of thought you will be unhappy for the rest of your life."

"I don't need a woman to be happy."

"So you are happy?"

Humphrey sighed.

"My wife´s death is still very present in my mind to not allow me a moment of happiness."

"Even when you were with Elisabeth?"

Humphrey opened his mouth but closed it again.

"I…can´t deny that I felt very happy with Elisabeth but the guilt I felt afterwards…Mrs. Hacker, I can´t-"

"You love her," Annie whispered.

"Love isn't everything."

Annie finally understood that Humphrey´s guilt was _about_ his love for Elisabeth.

"Very well. I think that you will undoubtedly regret this decision, but it's up to you. Now you have to talk with Elisabeth. She has every reason to be convinced that you are interested in having a relationship with her. Please don't deceive her."

"You are right of course. I will have a word with her."


End file.
